By Jamie Rieger
As some flooded-out families in Cypress County are able to return to their properties and assess the damage caused by the June 18 flood, others are still not able to return home because of siting water or the roads and bridges to their properties are still not accessible.
What is quickly seen though, as one drives through the southeast part of the county is the mass destruction caused by the ravaging flood water. Uprooted trees, tin, fences, outbuildings from neighbouring farms, and other debris litter the fields where cattle should be grazing. In many lowlying areas, the water still has not receded; but sits stagnant almost a week after the destructive flood hit the area.
Cypress County work crews and contractors are the only people to be seen in many areas as some roads are either not safe for travel or have seized to exist in some places.
The creeks themselves tell a story of their own. Winding through the hills and coulees and through the flatlands, the creeks' paths seemed to be as permanent as the earth itself. The flood changed that and many creeks are carving new paths, new meandering waterways where roads once existed.
As farmers and ranchers are slowly able to get to at least portions of their properties, some wonder out loud whether rebuilding and stay in the agriculture business is even an option for them now. Some, teary-eyed as they take a glimpse of their properties and see years, or even generations of sweat equity washed away in the blink of an eye. For some, this massive flood was not the first one they have experienced in the tumultuous spring of 2010; for some it was their second or third flood of the year. To say this year has been exasperating or overwhelming would almost be an understatement when you witness firsthand the massive destruction.
Some families are not even ready to go back to their properties yet. They simply are not mentally prepared to face what they know is there-a devastating loss. To these people, these places were not just their homes, but they were the places where their grandparents or great-grandparents homesteaded a century ago; they are the places where they work and places that they love.
The flood has not only changed the physical landsape of southeast Alberta forever, but has many people wondering if it is all worth...is the beauty, the heritage, and the love of the land all worth it when the land has been so heartless in return.
The trees and brush will re-grow and the cattle and wildlife will return to the lush grasslands; and yes, most people will return, rebuild and thrive. First though, they need to be able to get home.